OUR HISTORY

In May of 1968 the small town of Palermo had three existing churches: Branch Mills Union Church, North Palermo Baptist Fellowship, and Second Baptist Church at Greely Corner. Attendance at these churches was very low and planting another church didn’t seem practical. Since the three existing churches were small in number and held similar doctrinal beliefs, a group of local believers thought it prudent for the Christians in town to work together rather than apart. The intent of the 11 charter members of Palermo Christian Church was not to establish a fourth church. No, their intent was to unite the three existing churches into one. The three churches decided to unite and on May 16, 1968 a special prayer meeting was held regarding this unification at North Palermo Baptist Fellowship. Three days later on Sunday, May 19, 1968, the 11 charter members held their first unification meeting. And Palermo Christian Church was established.

Since that time the church has grown, established itself as a staple in the town of Palermo, and continued to be a committed evangelical church. The existing churches lacked adequate facilities: no room for Sunday school classes, no running water, and no modern toilets. So it seemed wise to erect a new church building. Through much sacrificial giving of property, labor, and time, a new church building was completed. On December 6, 1970 a dedication service was held for the new building. In the late 1970’s the church’s youth group had grown to around 80 and the town of Palermo had no recreational facilities at the time, so the church embarked on a project to build a gymnasium and expand the sanctuary. On July 20, 1980 a dedication service was held for the newly constructed gym. As needs increased, numerous other improvements and expansions were made to the building. And in 1995, in agreement with the New Testament witness (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28; 1 Tim 3:1-7; 5:17; Titus 1:5-9; Jas 5:14; 1 Pet 5:1-3), Palermo Christian Church established a board of male elders to teach, oversee, and shepherd the congregation.

Remarkable about Palermo Christian Church is the fact that in its 50 plus years of existence the church has only had three permanent Senior Pastors installed. Dale Flynn served as pastor for the first three months of the church’s existence. Fred Williams took over as an interim pastor shortly thereafter and was officially installed as Senior Pastor in July, 1969. Fred served PCC until November, 1981. After a season with an interim pastor, Ed Hatch was installed in June, 1982. Ed would go on to serve as Senior Pastor for 36 plus years, retiring in December, 2018. After another season with an interim pastor, Eric Dubois was called to be Senior Pastor in August, 2019. He came to us as a graduate of Capital Bible Seminary (Master of Divinity) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Theology). He endeavors to serve Palermo Christian Church and its Lord faithfully for the long haul like his predecessors.

Palermo Christian Church maintains its commitment to the principles of God’s Word embraced by our founding members. We rejoice in the grace of God that has built and sustained this congregation of believers. The church born in the vision and petitions of a few has weathered many tests and stands over 50 years later as the light to the Palermo area. Palermo Christian Church continues its testimony as a faithful non-denominational, evangelical church committed to the maturity of the saints and the conversion of the lost.